Arianta arbustorum
Live Arianta arbustorum
Shell of Arianta arbustorum (syntype at MNHN, Paris)
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Mollusca
Class:	Gastropoda
Order:	Stylommatophora
Family:	Helicidae
Genus:	Arianta
Species:	A. arbustorum
Binomial name
Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)[2]
Synonyms
Helix arbustorum Linnaeus, 1758 Helix rufescens Pennant, 1777 Helix thamnivaga Mabille, 1883

Arianta arbustorum, sometimes known as the copse snail, is a medium-sized species of pulmonate land snail in the family Helicidae.^[3]

Several subspecies are recognized by some authors:

• Arianta arbustorum alpicola Férussac, 1821
• Arianta arbustorum arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Arianta arbustorum canigonensis (Boubée, 1833)
• Arianta arbustorum picea
• Arianta arbustorum pseudorudis (Schlesch, 1924)
• Arianta arbustorum repellini (Reeve, 1852)
• Arianta arbustorum styriaca (Frauenfeld, 1868)
• Arianta arbustorum vareliensis Ripken & Falkner, 2000

This species is native to Europe:

• North-western and central Europe with Alps and Carpathians^[4]
• Netherlands^[5]
• Austria
• Czech Republic
• Slovakia
• Poland
• Switzerland. One of the most frequent species of land snails in Switzerland, can be very abundant, up to 20 adults per square meter.^[4]
• eastern Pyrenees, Spain^[4]
• Norway^[4]
• Iceland^[4]
• Faroe Islands^[6]
• the British Isles: Great Britain and Ireland^[4] In Britain the species suffered slightly from intensive farming and the continuous destructions of suitable uncultivated refuges.^[4] It is rare in Ireland.^[4]
• Kaliningrad^[4]
• Finland. In Finland, it has become so common in the Porvoo region east of Helsinki, that it is locally called the "Porvoo snail".
• Estonia^[4]
• Latvia^[4]
• scattered to Serbia^[4]
• Bulgaria^[4] It is rare in Bulgaria.^[4]
• western Ukraine^[4]

Arianta arbustorum is introduced to North America, but is only known from Canada, where established populations are known from Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Ontario,^[7] and Prince Edward Island.^[8]

This species has not yet become established in the US, but it is considered to represent a potentially serious threat as a pest, an invasive species which could negatively affect agriculture, natural ecosystems, human health or commerce. Therefore, it has been suggested that this species be given top national quarantine significance in the USA.^[9]

The shell is usually brown with numerous pale yellowish rows of spots and usually with a brown band above the periphery, occasionally yellowish, reddish or with greenish hue, weakly striated and with fine spiral lines on the upper side.^[4] The shell has 5-5.5 convex whorls with deep suture.^[4] The last whorl is slightly descending near the aperture.^[4] The aperture is with prominent white lip inside.^[4] The apertural margin is reflected.^[4] Umbilicus is entirely covered by the reflected columellar margin.^[4]

The width of the shell is 18–25 mm.^[4] The height of the shell is 12–22 mm.^[4] Dimensions are locally variable.^[4]

The shell shape is globular in most present-day populations, but originally is believed to have been depressed in the Pleistocene, before lowlands were invaded and shells became globular, re-invading mountain regions except some isolated spots among glaciers.^[4]

The animal is usually black.^[4]

Arianta arbustorum lives in forests and open habitats of any kind.^[4] It requires humidity.^[4] It lives also in disturbed habitats (not in Ireland where it is restricted to old native woodland).^[4] It may locally tolerate non-calcareous substrate, in north Scotland also on sandhills.^[4] In the Alps up to 2700 m, in Britain 1200 m, in Bulgaria 1500 m.^[4]

It feeds on green herbs, dead animals and faeces.^[4]

If snails hatched more than 50 m distant from each other, they are considered isolated since they would not move more than 25 m (neighbourhood area 32–50 m), usually they move about 7–12 m in a year, mostly along water currents.^[4]

This species of snail makes and uses calcareous love darts during mating. Reproduction is usually after copulation, but self-fertilization is also possible.^[4] The size of the egg is 3.2 mm.^[10] Maturity is reached after 2–4 years.^[4] The maximum age up to 14 years.^[4]

Angiostrongylus vasorum has successfully experimentally infected this snail.^[11]

Metaldehyde and iron phosphate can be used to exterminate snails.^[12] Since copper generates electric shocks that make it difficult for snails to move, it makes a great barrier material for them.^[13]

• This article incorporates public domain text from the reference:^[4]

• Kerney, M.P., Cameron, R.A.D. & Jungbluth, J-H. (1983). Die Landschnecken Nord- und Mitteleuropas. Ein Bestimmungsbuch für Biologen und Naturfreunde, 384 pp., 24 plates. [Summer or later]. Hamburg / Berlin (Paul Parey).
• Bank, R. A.; Neubert, E. (2017). Checklist of the land and freshwater Gastropoda of Europe. Last update: July 16, 2017
• Sysoev, A. V. & Schileyko, A. A. (2009). Land snails and slugs of Russia and adjacent countries. Sofia/Moskva (Pensoft). 312 pp., 142 plates.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arianta arbustorum.

• Arianta arbustorum at Animalbase taxonomy,short description, distribution, biology,status (threats), images
• Arianta arbustorum images at Encyclopedia of Life
• Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae
• Pennant, T. (1777). British Zoology, vol. IV. Crustacea. Mollusca. Testacea. London. i-viii, 1-154, Plates 1-93

• Baur, Anette; Baur, Bruno (2005) Interpopulation variation in the prevalence and intensity of parasitic mite infection in the land snail Arianta arbustorum ; Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 124 Issue 3, p194-201. 8p. 3 Charts. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2005.00019.x.
• Baur, Bruno & Locher Rolf (1998) Sperm allocation in the simultaneously hermaphroditic land snail Arianta arbustorum. Animal Behaviour. Oct98, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p839. 7p.
• Baur, Bruno (1986) Patterns of dispersion, density and dispersal in alpine populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum (L.) (Helicidae). Holarctic Ecology. Mai 1986, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p117-125. 9p
• Haase Martin, Esch Susanne & Misof Bernhard (2013) Local adaptation, refugial isolation and secondary contact of Alpine populations of the land snail Arianta arbustorum. Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 2013, Vol. 79 Issue 3, p241-248. 8p.
• Haase M & Bisenberger A (2003) Allozymic differentiation in the land snail Arianta arbustorum (Stylommatophora, Helicidae): historical inferences  ; Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research. Aout 2003, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p175-185. 11p. DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0469.2003.00208.x.
• Kleeweint Doris (1999), Population size, density, spatial distribution and dispersal in an Austrian population of the land snail Arianta arbustorum styriaca (Gastropoda: Helicidae) ; Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 1999, Vol. 65 Issue 3, p303-315. 13p. 3
• Haase M & Misof B (2009), Dynamic gastropods: stable shell polymorphism despite gene flow in the land snail Arianta arbustorum. Dynamische Schnecken: stabiler Schalenpolymorphismus trotz Genflusses in der Landschnecke Arianta arbustorum. Journal of Zoological Systematics & Evolutionary Research. Mai 2009, Vol. 47 Issue 2, p105-114. 10p. DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0469.2008.00488.x
• Minoretti, Nicole; Stoll, Peter; Baur, Bruno (2013) Heritability of sperm length and adult shell size in the land snail Arianta arbustorum (Linnaeus, 1758) Journal of Molluscan Studies. Aout 2013, Vol. 79 Issue 3, p218-224. 7p.
• Schüpbach, Hans U.; Baur, Bruno (2008), Parasitic mites influence fitness components of their host, the land snail Arianta arbustorum.. Invertebrate Biology, Vol. 127 Issue 3, p350-356. 7p. 1 Chart, 2 Graphs. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7410.2008.00138.x.